Forever yours
by Angel SkyKitten
Summary: Gary learns the real reason why she didn't return. Why, after three years, she hadn't come back to him. And now he knows that she doesn't intend to. Not anymore. Now, he also knows why.
1. Why?

He sat and stared at the screen. A concert was on, starring Mia. He sighed, pained. It had been long. Too long. She promised she'd be back by now. Promised she'd be by his side again. But she wasn't. She was on some tour. She'd only returned a few times. Once for her brother's wedding, and once again when her tour had allowed it. The only other time he saw her was in Paris, when Brock married Keya.

The show ended. He turned of the television. There was nothing left for him now. Nothing left but memories. His own profession didn't allow for any leisure or holidays, either. His rival with Ash was over. He'd settled as a Gym Leader and owner of the night clubs around town. Occasionally he'd return to Pallet Town to meet up with Professor oak, but usually he didn't have time even for that.

He glanced over to the wall of his apartment, and couldn't help but smile. The last picture they ever took on that journey. Ash and Misty, Brock and Keya… him and Mia. Another fairytale gone wrong. She'd vanished out of his life. He waited for her that year, and she hadn't returned. Still he waited. He'd promised her that much. He'd waited, even if he wasn't completely devoted to her.

When she came for Ash's wedding, she'd told him to move on. Move on, forget her. And that was it. No explanation, no reasoning, nothing. When he tried to hold her, she'd moved away. When he tried to talk, she walked. When he tried to ask, she'd ran. Ran away from him. Tore his heart. Why? He still didn't know. So he'd gone on with his life.

Not, of course, that he hadn't already. He'd gotten drunk a few times and into a few one-night stands. Had the odd relationship with one girl or another in passing. But they hadn't meant anything to him. Without her around, he lacked the same control he'd acquired. He'd lost a lot more than that, but she still meant the world to him. And she'd trampled on his heart. Driven right over it without a care.

And yet, it wasn't that easy to rid himself of her presence. Of the memory of her. Of anything of her. The pictures remained in a photo album in his closet, collecting dust. The letters she'd continued to write to him since Ash's wedding lay in a bundle in the music box he was going to give her for her 13th birthday. The flute… His one complete connection with her. That he'd also kept. Although it had been a long time since the last time he'd used it. For three years, it lay untouched in its box on the mantle above his bed. A display and nothing more.

He flipped open his phone.

"Yeah?" he asked blandly and extremely to-the-point.

He sighed when the phone call ended. Why him? Why? It wasn't fair.

* * *

"Okay, what seems to be the problem?" he asked, looking pointedly at the two. 

"He doesn't own me," spat Jay.

Once upon a time, she'd been such a sweet girl. After she was separated from her best friend, she couldn't handle everything with that happened with her boyfriend. Her attitude had changed. She'd grown thorns instead of petals.

"I never said I did," muttered Nick.

Gary shot him a warning glare, and he glowered at the floor. Jay was a member of the Vixens, and Nick was Gary's second in command in the Dragons. To put it simply, they didn't get along despite the alliance between the gangs.

Jay's black hair was done up in a high ponytail. The slither of hair which fell across her face was silver. She wore a black halter top and jeans. Her nails were painted red and her wrists were covered in silver bangles. She wore black sneakers and the whole look was rather odd. A mix between rough and deadly. Her arms were crossed and she leaned her weight onto her right leg, obviously waiting for a verdict.

Nicholas, or Nick, as he preferred to be called, was wearing a black t-shirt with jeans. His brown hair was gelled up stylishly messy and was currently swinging his legs as he sat on the bar, his own black sneakers only just touching the table. His back was hunched and his head down, although it was apparent that the expression on his face was one of complete loathing.

Gary sighed and turned to Marie, Jay's older sister, and raised an eyebrow. She sighed in return. Usually it was up to her to keep these two in place.

"They were having an argument on the table settings," she mumbled, hating to tell on her younger sister.

"… And…?" continued Gary, even though he knew what had happened.

"And they got into a fight," sighed Marie, "Nick was trying to get her to move the table upstairs, but Jay told him that there were enough there already."

"And were there?"

Biting her lip, Marie gave a slow shake of her head.

"At least, not according to the list," she tried to explain in her sister's defence, "But there was still a lot of space there…"

Gary put up a hand and she stopped. He turned to look at Jay.

"Jay, who's club is this?" he asked in a stern voice.

"Yours," she muttered back in reply.

"So when Nick tries to ensure my rules are followed, my staff should follow his instructions, right?"

She nodded again, obviously unwillingly. Gary sighed.

"Look, Jay. I know Mia leaving was difficult for you. It was difficult for all of us…"

"Like you care!" she snapped.

Gary stopped. His eyes narrowed. He folded his arms and glared down at her.

"What did you say?" he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Like you care!"

Gary exploded.

"Of course I care! I…" he faltered, then ended with, "I cared."

"No you didn't."

He looked up angrily at her.

"Oh, and how would you know?"

Anger flashed in his eyes. Jay glared back with her own fierceness.

"It was your fault she left," she yelled, shocking everyone in the room.

"What…?" began Gary, confused.

"It was your fault," she repeated angrily, but softly.

"And how do you figure that?" he asked, attempting to steady his voice.

"She told me."

"And what exactly did she tell you?"

"She told me you were the cause. She told me she wanted to stay, but she couldn't. That it would've been too painful for her to continually see you."

"And why was that?"

"… Because you betrayed her trust," hissed Jay, before storming away.

"Jay!" called Marie, running after her younger sister.

Gary sighed and Nick clasped a hand around his friend.

"Don't worry, Gary. It's Jay. She's not in a right state of mind," offered Nick.

"It's because it's Jay who's saying this, that I'm worried. She was Mia's best friend."

"Is," Nick corrected offhandedly.

Gary stared at him. Nick seemed to realise what he said and tried to stammer out an excuse, but Gary cut him short.

"What do you mean, 'is'?"

"Well… you know. Mia still write to her, and sometimes even visits…"

Gary grabbed his friend by the front of his shirt.

"And you never told me?"

Nick shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, I didn't think you needed to know…"

"Try the other one, _Nick_."

"Okay okay. It's not my fault! Mia… Mia didn't want you to know. What was I supposed to do? Go behind her back and tell you?"

"_Yes_!"

Nick pushed Gary off him.

"Look. You know how it is, right? You know how _she_ is!"

Gary sighed and grabbed a bottle from the counter.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do know."

* * *

_Hey all!_

_This story follows Misty's Hope, but you don't really have to read it to understand the plot if you don't want to. Just an update on the ages, though._

Gary: 19... I think...

Mia: 15

Jay: 15

Nick: 19

Marie: 21

_Not that all of the ages matter, but I just thought you'd like to know. Anyway, please read and review! Thank you!_


	2. No escaping

Mia stretched across her bed and yawned, covering her mouth as she did so. Pushing herself upwards, she sat, hugging her legs to her chest. She stared around her moodily. Once upon a time, she might have looked forward to this. She might have seen the pink of her room with all her precious possessions and smiled as if Christmas had come early. No longer could she bring herself to feel that. She wouldn't even be here, had not her mother lived here.

She couldn't change that. She couldn't change what had happened either. She couldn't change anything. Not even if she wanted to. But now, she wasn't so sure. Did she even want it to change? She was so confused. What was there to change. It had happened, she had witnessed it, and that was that. There was no turning back. It was better that she'd found out before anything else had happened anyway.

Her phone rang and she eyed it cautiously. Wearily, she picked up when she saw who was calling.

"What's up DJ?" she asked.

"Nothing, really. How long do you plan on visiting anyway?"

She groaned inwardly. DJ was her male counterpart, basically. They were both hired by the same company, only she preferred only having breaks in between their tours, whereas DJ was impatient to continue his career. Still, they were relatively good friends.

"DJ, give me a break here. When was the last time I visited my family?"

"_Only two months ago_!"

"How long has it been for you?"

There was a momentary silence as DJ seemed to consider this.

"DJ, go home for a change. Stop working your ass off on promotions and visit your family instead."

DJ sighed heavily.

"Fine. I'll see you in about a month, then?"

"Sure. Bye!"

She sighed as she hung up, resuming her position on the bed. Why was she doing this to herself anyway?

* * *

"Get lost," came a muffled voice. 

"Are you sure you want me to?" replied an amused one.

There was a mad scramble for the door. At least, it sounded painful. There were a few bumps mixed with cursing and yelps of pain. When he did, at last, reach the door, there stood before him an elegantly dressed lady he thought he'd never see again.

"Keya! It's been such a long time!" he greeted, ushering both her and Brock inside, "How's it been?"

Brock and Keya exchanged glances and grinned breezily.

"Not bad," she replied.

Gary took in the image of the two. Brock had his arm around her shoulder, another holding her hand. Keya's free hand touched Brock's where it lay gently on her shoulder.

"And you?" asked Brock.

Gary shrugged his reply.

"Have you heard? Mia's in town," remarked Keya, as if absently.

They noticed his suddenly tightened jaw and his grip on the cup he was holding, tighten.

"Really? That's nice. It must be difficult for her to get a day off, what with all the travelling," he managed to force out.

Keya smirked and Brock shook his head as Gary turned away.

"A drink?"

"Water will do for me, thank you."

"Nothing for me, Gary, but sit down. We have much to talk about."

Gary turned around and eyed Keya's innocent look with suspicion. He gave Brock a cup of water and sat across from the loving couple, eyeing how much they'd changed. Brock's hair remained styled the same, but his clothing… He certainly wasn't travelling all that much nowadays, that was for certain. Still, the silk black top he wore sat uncertainly on his body and he himself seemed to wish he wasn't wearing it, especially not with jeans.

Keya, however, was another matter. She was dressed in an off-the-shoulder pink top with black pants that flared slightly near the end. Her earring consisted of a thin strand of diamonds on each ear, and her hair had been put up into ringlet. A small silver watch adorned her left wrist and a small black purse. He assumed nothing when he thought it withheld a small dagger in it.

He couldn't help but smirk at this.

"Still worried for your safety, I see. Don't worry. This is Dragoon and Vixen territory. Nobody's attempted trespassing for ages now. Our land and chain of clubs expand as well. We've begun moving onto your brother's territory. How is he, anyway?"

Her face clouded, and Brock pulled her closer.

"He's been set free," he said through gritted teeth.

"_What_?" roared Gary, jumping up.

"Settle down. We have trackers after him, and from what we know, he's currently in Spain somewhere," he said in a forceful, but calm, tone.

"After what he did to Misty, how could they… What happened… What do you mean…"

"He bribed the judge, apparently," interrupted Keya dryly.

"Do you think he'll… you know."

"Go after Misty again? No, I doubt it. Ash is too well known for him to be able to get away with suh a thing. However…"

Keya bit her lip, hesitating.

"What?" asked Gary, suddenly tense, "What are you suggesting?"

"Well, you know how stubborn Mia can be," she attempted lamely, gesturing half heartedly.

"Mia can take care of herself," he said, looking away.

"Still, she's only a child, and such a headstrong one as well…"

"Nothing will happen to her," he pressed on, "She's expanded our name greatly. We have out of country allies and our headquarters is being moved soon to a larger location. Our forces are growing, and it won't be long before we're as well known as Team Rocket."

Keya raised an eyebrow and looked at Brock, who nodded slightly. He was obviously trying to change the topic. Keya stood up, Brock with her.

"Well, we should be heading back. We're staying with Professor Oak. If you see Mia, tell her to visit some time, alright?"

Gary forced himself to nod before showing them out the door. Once they'd left, he collapsed onto the couch.

_Not again._

Sighing, he picked up his mobile again.

"Yeah?"

"It's Marie."

"Please tell me this isn't what I think this is about."

"… Julius's got Jay."

Gary leapt up from his slouching position.

"_What did you say_?" he roared.

Marie burst into tears, choking and sobbing.

"She just left… I couldn't… But she… Nick…"

"What about Nick?" cut in Gary impatiently.

"He went after her," she managed to gasp out.

Gary hung up, grabbed his coat and walked out.

"Come on, Umbreon," he called, allowing his Pokemon (( Gasp Yes! A Pokemon! )) to slip through before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Mia browsed the store casually. Without her trademark ribboned ponytail and armbands, she was barely recognisable, which was how she liked it. The store, she knew very well, was owned by Black Onix members, but their strength was dwindling and they didn't seem to notice her, so she was safe. Nothing here would suit her; the quality of their styles were similar to those of their gang members. Poor and exposed. Only Black Onix members were unintelligent enough to walk on Vixen territory with their black armbands and clips. 

Espeon nudged at her leg, and she turned to see what had caused it to warn her of something. She spotted a struggling girl caught between two men and a shadow dashing stealthily towards them, if a little too close in proximity. Still, she recognised the style. Gary never train his members differently. He should, though. He'd always told her a variety was much safer.

Mia sighed.

"Well, as they say, once a gang member, always a gang member. You can't leave it behind, can you, Espeon? Come on then," she said, walking out of the door and following the chase.

_Sorry all! For some reason my computer refuses to load the quick edit thing so I had to make do without the lines… My apologies for the lateness of this chapter!_


	3. My saviour

Nick sauntered towards the old warehouse they'd taken Jay to. However, it was apparent that she wasn't going down without a fight. She'd struggled and kicked and caused much pain for her two escorts. Considering it had been a good half hour, he was rather surprised that neither had given up already. He smiled to himself. Trust Jay to keep up such strength and vigour at a time like this.

He supposed the reason as to why he'd been startled was the fact that he'd been too busy staring intently at the newly captured. A hand slipped over his mouth and his eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react…

"Don't even think about yelling," muttered a voice he knew all too well.

He turned to see the owner of the voice clad in a navy halter top and black jeans. He couldn't help but stare at the infamous figure, clad in ribboned ponytail, armbands and all.

"Mia!" he said into her hand in mild astonishment.

His words, or rather, word, was muffled, but Mia understood him and smiled, lifting her hand away. When she did, he turned to watch her, still baffled by the turn of events. He who was stalking the Black Onix's was being stalked himself! Mia, however, didn't seem at all perturbed and motioned for him to follow as she neared the warehouse entrance. He'd never seem her in such a solemn state. But then, her best friend had never been captured by the same gang whose sub-leader almost raped her sister-in-law.

Upon a closer inspection, it was clear that, if they were to get into the warehouse, it would have to be through either the main entrance or a window. However, as Mia continued to approach, she didn't seem intent on going through the window.

"Mia! Stop! What are you doing?" hissed an anxious Nick.

"Don't stress, Nikki, I've got you covered," she teased lightly.

Despite the circumstances, Nick was still able to manage a glower in her direction. Had it been anyone else, they'd be dead before the word slipped out of their mouths. Unfortunately, the whole gang had a soft spot where Mia was concerned. They'd practically raised her, or at least watched her grow, from innocent, to heartbroken, to strong gang member, to ambition Pokemon trainer, to superstar.

Before Nick had enough time to snap out from his visit to the past, Mia had already gotten the door open.

"I don't think they'll ever learn to get a better security system," remarked Mia, disgusted and also disappointed that she hadn't been able to receive a challenging task.

* * *

The door began to swing open. Slowly. Too slowly. Black Onix members turned to see who it was. No one. And yet, the door couldn't have opened on its own accord. Pokeballs began to emerge. And then, they heard it. Softly, at first, but it was definitely there. The sound of bells. Those that you'd hear when wrapped around an anklet or when tied into your hair. 

There were exchanges of surprised glances. Everyone remembered this scene, remembered the bells, always as a warning. But a warning from what? For what? When was the last time this had happened? Then they tensed, remembering. Remembering the pokemon. The people. The other gang. The fight. Neither had won, but it had been an all out war which none could forget.

They stood up, releasing Pokemon, embracing themselves for what they expected to come…

… So, naturally, when they saw only a kid and a scrawny teenage boy, they laughed outright.

And, naturally, they stopped laughing when Mia began to. Soon, only her laughter rang through the whole warehouse, and it ceased faster than it began.

"I want you to hand Jay over. Now."

There was no laughter in her voice. There was nothing except a warning. One that told them rather clearly that unless they did as told, they'd have to deal with her. And yet, she seemed no threat to them. Some sniggered, some smirked. Some even laughed outright again. Then, one of the bolder males took charge.

"Ryhorn, Take down!"

A sickly looking Pokemon began to charge wearily at Mia. She felt sorry for it. Why should it have to suffer because of its master's weakness? Mia jumped away from the charging Pokemon.

"Dragonair, Twister."

There was a deadly edge to her voice and Nick's eyes widened as he heard her speak it.

"Are you mad, Mia? You can't use that inside…."

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Next thing they knew, there was a miniature tornado erupting within the building, catching up furniture, Pokemon, and gang members alike. Understandably, Nick held onto a nearby pole for dear life. Mia watched him with a sceptical look on her face, Espeon in her grasp.

"Nikki, the attack is headed that way," she remarked, pointing towards the twister, a few metres away from them now.

"Shut up," he muttered.

He realised his mistake instantly.

"What did you say?" demanded Mia threateningly.

"… Nothing?" he attempted through a stammer.

Next thing he knew, a searing pain shot through his shoulder.

"Mia!" he whined, rubbing at his arm, glaring at the child a head shorter than he was.

"Let's go find Jay!" she announced loudly, over his distressed cries.

He could be such a baby, although usually it was just to humour her. They both knew he was the better fighter physically. Pokemon-wise… Now that was a different story. As they were talking, however, the Gang members had revived and were beginning their advance. Standing back to back, not even they were up for a fight against 50 relatively well trained Onix members.

"Mia, behind you!" gasped Nick, ducking a punch and throwing his opponent over his shoulder.

Mia bent backwards well enough for the punch to miss her, but it was brought downwards just as quickly and she had to attempt to roll away. Her reflexes allowed her to miss being kicked, but not without taking a blow to her stomach. She gasped in pain, but regained her footing, only having to jump to avoid being tripped up. Nick delivered a well aimed side kick to the side of someone advancing upon Mia.

They were all aiming for her. Why? Because she was assumed the weakling? Or because they knew her status, her power, her fame? What would happen to her and her reputation if it got out that she had to be hospitalised due to a gang fight? A block to the side and a return punch. What was the meaning of all of this anyway? Why had they taken Jay in the first place? Jay…

Mia kicked backwards, her sneaker making contact with someone's lower jaw, before she jumped into a one handed cartwheel in an attempt to move away from the congregation forming around her. Bending her legs so that her cartwheel fell short, she tripped someone up before returning to her feet, with the intention of injuring someone.

Both knew they were struggling with the amount of people which surrounded them. They'd begun to separate, which meant both had to watch out for their own backs.

"How can you start a party without me?" drawled a voice that both thrilled and chilled Mia.

"Gary!" exclaimed Nick, grinning, as everyone stopped fighting for a split second to watch his dramatic entrance.

He leaned against the door, arms crossed, trademark smirk in place, and his brown hair blowing messily in the wind giving him a roguish look. Mia could have sworn she heard giggles from the scantily dressed sluts who had stayed away from the fighting. Most likely more worried about chipping their nails than defending their own territory. Unable to help herself, she glanced at her own rather boyish clothing and resisted the urge to blush. What did he think of her now, compared to the female Onix gang members?

She shook away those thoughts. It didn't matter now. Nothing he thought about was of any concern to her. Not anymore, at least. That is, not if she could help it. But she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't put him from her mind. Nor could she ignore the sense of betrayal which still remained fresh in her heart.

Catching her off guard, six members charged at her all at once. Still dazed from her thoughts, Mia made a split second decision to duck, allowing all six to skid to an abrupt halt. She knew she didn't have a way out now, as they once again began to advance upon her. Espeon, however, jumped in front of its master and, without any command, commenced using Confusion.

The 6 stepped backwards, allowing Gary to steal Mia away from their circle formation. Stunned, she followed without a word.

"Come on, I've got Jay, let's get out of here!" cried out Nick, dragging forward a disgruntled looking Jay.

She was glaring at her so-called saviour. However, her blackened look instantly disappeared when her eyes lighted upon her best friend. They both grinned at each other, pausing for a split second, before diving outwards and into the alley. A Vine whip fell short and they got away, hearing the curses its trainer bestowed upon the poor Pokemon.

Laughing they emerged in their own territory. However, the moment they got there, all four of them composed themselves. Hands were released. Careless laughter was cut short. Smiles vanished. Casual positions were taken. Gary leaning against one wall, Nick beside him. Mia and Jay walked across the road and began to talk animatedly to each other, although neither expressed any glee or interest physically. However, it was apparent to the boys, at least, that they had already begun catching up.

* * *

Mia grinned inwardly. Here, she was free. Everyone knew her, but not as Mia the superstar. Rather, it was Mia the comrade. She nodded a few greetings as the few from her old division passed by. 

"So how's it been?" asked Jay casually although her eyes were dancing with joy.

"Not bad. And you?"

"… It's alright, I suppose."

"And Julius?"

"… Long story. I'll tell you later."

"Want to head up to Autumn Café?"

"Sure. Why is it called that, anyway?"

"Probably something to do with Autumn's lack of understanding of the word 'café'."

"Still. Calling a candy store a café?"

The two exchanged silent giggles. Autumn's Café was their old hangout. It was an extremely pale pink store with white decorations and lettering. In its shop window were jars full of candy. Tables were set up if you wanted a drink or cake. This had been redesigned after they'd explained to Autumn what a café actually was.

The joyous moment died down.

"I hear they've released Jack," remarked Jay quietly.

A solemn silence hung in the air for a minute before Mia replied.

"I know," she said softly.

* * *

_Hey! Sorry for the lack of updating. Writer's block... Tests... Assignments... You know. The usual excuses. I'm sorry! I'll try to update faster next time. Anyway, enjoy! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! Thanks!_


	4. Caught

When Jay returned to the main club in a cheerful mood, it was already dark, and she arrived alone.

"Where's Mia?" asked Gary in an attempt to be casual.

"What do you care?" she sneered, "But if you must know, she's headed home."

Jay attempted to walk past, but Gary grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, struggling to get free.

"I saved your life. Remember that," he said steely before letting her go.

She glared at him and huffed upstairs.

Gary glowered at a spot on the floor just past his own feet. Nick leaned casually on the bar, watching his friend with a sidewards glance.

"You didn't have to be so harsh to her you know," he commented.

"So? Since when did you care?" he snapped back.

Nick's usually cheerful expression turned to a blank as he stared at his friend.

"I don't," he said finally, walking away, "I just wish you'd stop acting like the whole damn world's against you or something."

The moment he vanished from sight, Gary threw a bottle at where his friend had originally stood, before slumping into a chair, sighing. What was wrong with him? He didn't usually have a temper. In fact, it was usually extremely difficult to get him to show any kind of emotion at all.

Damn he hated Mia for being able to do this to him.

* * *

"Mother, I'm home!" called out the raven haired teenager.

"Where on earth have you been?" she asked, eyeing the box of sweets her daughter had brought back.

"Autumn's café with Jay," she replied casually.

"Alright! Candy!" exclaimed another voice, this time deeper.

He turned around on the couch and grabbed the bag off his sister.

"Hey!" she protested, but allowed him to start eating anyway.

"Misty!"

"They there Mia, how's it been?"

"I've been better. How about you?"

"Fine, fine…"

"Really? Are you sure you don't require therapy? I mean, spending so much time with my brother can alter a person's mental health drastically…"

A muffled, "Hey, I resent that!" came from her older brother, glaring at her.

She stuck out her tongue, but when Ash attempted to do the same, Misty clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Swallow first," she ordered.

He glared at his wife, but did so nevertheless. Mia laughed as Misty smiled smugly at him.

"I'll leave you three alone then," remarked their mother, leaving and shaking her head as she smiled.

Although they'd spent most of their time abroad, she didn't think she'd done too bad a job with them. They could take care of themselves now. Still, she'd missed so much of their lives…

"How've you been?" asked Mia gently, hugging her sister-in-law.

"Alright, I suppose," she replied shakily.

"So you know?" Ash stated, rather than asked.

Mia nodded her confirmation. Misty put on a brave face as Ash pulled her closer, protective of his wife now that the truth finally hit him.

"… They don't think he's going to come after you now, Mist. What with Ash's fame, it's too risky," she said softly.

Mia gazed out the window, watching the shadows play.

"Who's 'they'?" asked a confused Ash.

"The Vixens. The Dragoons. Jay… Gary."

The last name was said in almost a whisper, so that Ash had to strain to hear her voice.

"Then who's his next target?"

Misty caught onto Mia's silence before Ash could even begin to ponder it.

"Oh no… Mia, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean… I…"

Misty broke out into fervent sobbing, face hidden in her hands. Ash's confusion grew.

"Misty…"

"Don't you get it? They think it's her!" she screeched, shoulders shaking, at Ash.

He took his time processing this information.

"What's going on?" asked their mother, rushing in with a worried gasp.

"Nothing, Mum. Misty's just tired," replied Ash with a convincing smile.

Misty nodded, wiping away her tears, trying to smile. She remained, however, extremely doubtful, but chose not to push it.

"Of course, dear. I'll have your room ready soon, alright?"

Misty nodded and thanked her gratefully. Then, Ash turned to Mia.

"Is that true?" he asked in a lowered voice.

She nodded.

"What about your being my sister? Doesn't that account for anything? And your fame?"

"I'm off work at the moment. I'm an easy enough target here and I don't live in a mansion," she replied dully.

Ash clenched his fists and nodded, turning away.

"So there's nothing I can do?"

Mia shook her head.

"Very well then. Take care."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and met his clear hazel gaze, so different from her own sapphire blue eyes, but with the same clarity. She nodded, feeling the weight of his words. It was the first time he hadn't attempted to stop her from travelling a path he felt was all too dangerous for her. He trusted her to look after herself now.

"I will bro, don't you worry," she said, attempting a wobbly half smile.

* * *

"Maybe you should go see him," suggested Jack.

Mia stared back at him as if she'd been slapped.

"And face it all over again? No way."

"Face what all over again? Come on Mia, how many years has it been? Hell, I don't even know what this is all about! The least you could do is tell me!"

Mia snorted in disgust.

"Why don't you ask him."

"Ask who? Gary doesn't know what he did wrong. At least, if he does, he hasn't told me. Just give him another chance, if not for his sake, then for ours. He's driving the whole gang crazy."

"So kick him out."

She was not in the mood for any of this. She hadn't been in the wrong, so why should she make the first move? Why should she make any move? He didn't exist to her. Not anymore.

_You may cloud your mind, but never your heart._

"Oh yes. We're all just going to go up to him and say, 'You're out, Gary'. We both know it doesn't work like that."

She knew alright. No matter how hard she tried, it kept following her. Stupid jackass. He made her join in the first place…

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Just talk to him or something! Anything!"

Talk? A long time ago, she may have considered this. But that was a very long time ago. Talking proved useless if there is no truth in what is spoken, and she couldn't trust him not to lie. Not anymore. Not after that. Not ever. Never.

"Why should I?"

This had nothing to do with her. Why did she need to worry? It was no concern of hers. Never was, never will be.

_Always has been, always will be…_

"Because you're the only one who can. Please, Mia. For a friend."

She stopped a moment to consider this. If it was to help a friend, would it be that bad? After all, it meant nothing to her…

_It means everything…_

So why did it bother her? No, it didn't. She just didn't feel like talking, that was all. She was never one to sit down and discuss things. Shoot first, ask questions later. Any other way would mean certain death for any gang member. What could she do about it? It was the lore of their society, and that was that.

"We'll see," she said, shrugging.

Ignoring the exasperated look on Jack's face, Mia casually walked away, her footsteps marked by the noise given off when the heel of her knee-high black boots made contact with the cement floor. Jack sighed, defeated, and stepped through the backdoor of Celeste. Their meetings were brief and near the club, but never in it. It held too many memories for Mia. Yet, while he could understand why she mightn't wish to return to her status, he couldn't understand why she refused to talk to Gary. What was up between the two of them?

Inside, Mia knew she was hurting. Knew that the pain was growing every time she returned. Yet she couldn't stay away. Because the pain was her last connection. The connection to her past. She couldn't turn back, and she knew better than to dwell on it, but she was unable to help herself. She had to have _something_. Anything. Anything at all which would remind her… As much as she hated to admit it, she was caught. Caught between the past, the present, and the future.


	5. Memories

"Shit," he swore, waking up with a throbbing headache.

Okay, so maybe this time he had overdone the drinking a little too much. He glanced blearily at his surroundings. His gaze fell upon a figure walking towards him, smiling. She seated herself beside him as he slowly got up. His eyesight sharpened, then blurred. But he'd caught the image in his mind. Black hair, blue eyes, cheerful grin. He'd know that face anywhere.

"Hey," she cooed, "How's your head?" she asked, running a hand through his hair.

That voice… Reality kicked in and he cleared his vision forcefully, startling her into returning her hand to her side. That smile didn't exist anymore. Not for him to see, at least. Never for him. Not anymore. Why?

Ashley tilted her head, pouting, staring back at him with her watery blue eyes. Her blonde hair draping evenly around her shoulders. Gary glanced at her blearily, disappointment seeping into his heart. Why couldn't it have been her?

"What's wrong?" she asked with another one of her hurt expressions and an annoyingly babyish voice.

Suggestive and babyish. Didn't she have a third expression?

"Nothing. What's for breakfast?" he asked instead.

He gave her a half smile. She wasn't really worth the effort, but he wasn't in the mood for an argument this morning. In fact, he wasn't in the mood for anything to do with thinking.

Ashley gave him her "Are you mad?" look.

"I don't know. You haven't made it yet."

Again. That stupid voice. What happened to the days when every guy had his own girl cook for him? Mia could make excellent pancakes. A voice broke into his thoughts.

"I'm hungry," she complained, pouting.

'Make your own food, then,' he thought back mentally.

Outwardly, he gave a nod of his head and stood up, edging to the bathroom.

"Call Autumn's," he called back to her casually.

* * *

"Jay, it's six in the morning," groaned Mia, as her best friend started tugging at her shirt. 

"Well if you don't hurry now, we'll have to go and run with the neighbourhood wannabe's," she replied loftily.

Mia groaned at the thought. The 'Neighbourhood wannabe's' were a gang of twenty something's who felt they were capable of handling the gangster lifestyle. Well, they had the look… _And_ the speech… As well as the attitude… of complete wannabe gangsters. Sighing, she rolled her eyes.

_Amateurs._

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up!" she exclaimed when the persistent nudging began.

She stumbled into the bathroom and returned with perfectly straight hair tied up into pigtails and butterfly clips, only to come face to face with an outfit personally chosen by Jay. Her eyes stung the moment she saw it.

"No, Jay."

"Why not?"

"You know very well why not."

"Come on, Mia, how long has it been? Why should it matter?"

She turned away.

"It doesn't."

"Then wear it," she challenged, looking directly at Mia.

Mia stared blankly at the outfit. It wasn't anything special. Just a black shirt with a white print. So why should it matter? Her hand reached out tentatively to touch the piece of clothing…

* * *

_Flashback_

She swore as a gaping wound appeared on her shoulder, tearing her shirt and drenching it in blood. Having glanced at it, she narrowly missed the swing to her side, jumping away just in time. It stung, but it wasn't enough to immobilise her.

"You said no weapons!" she yelled angrily, glaring at her opponent.

Yenna flicked back her purple-streaked red hair.

"So I lied," she replied casually, "What's it to you?"

"Bitch!" she snapped, ducking as her opponent chucked a dagger at her.

The rest of the Amazons appeared from within the shadows. At the age of 13, she had been too trustworthy and had expected a one-on-one battle without any interference. As a result, she hadn't called for backup. But backup showed anyway.

Gary stepped forth just in time to save Mia from receiving a stab wound to her side. The Amazons hissed in anger, stepping forth just as their leader twisted her way out of his grip and jumped away.

"Look what the cat dragged in," she spat, glaring at the intruder.

Gary smirked and folded his arms, staring confidently back at her.

"Forget it Yenna. We're leaving. Come on," he said, taking Mia's hand and leading her away.

A flick of the hand and Sylphie stood in their way, alongside Nina.

"I didn't tell you to leave, did I? The fight hasn't ended just yet," she said, smirking.

Gary sighed dramatically.

"Well, if that's what you want," he said, turning to face her, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Smirking right back, she nodded and took out a poke ball.

"Flareon!"

Gary stared blankly at the fire pokemon, whose coat had been streaked with black ashes. He glanced at Umbreon, then nodded. It bounded towards its opponent, stopping a few feet short of its target.

"You can make the first move," he offered carelessly.

"With pleasure," shot back Yenna with a malicious smile.

"Flareon, bite!"

"Faint attack."

Flareon moved forward, only to find itself faced without an opponent. Umbreon reappeared and tackled Flareon from the side, wincing slightly as it made contact with Flareon's flames. Yenna sneered at this as Flareon picked itself up off the ground.

"Can't stand the heat? You should know better than to use an attack like that on my Flareon."

"And you should know better than to use a Dark attack against Umbreon," he retorted swiftly.

Mia stared at Flareon's leg. It had fallen upon it and seemed to be at a slight angle and causing Flareon pain, but Yenna didn't seem to realise.

"Umm…"

"Shut up, kid," she snapped before Mia could get a word in.

Mia huffed, mildly offended, folding her arms and sitting cross legged on the floor, pouting.

"Flareon, flamethrower!"

As the flames began to form in its mouth, Umbreon tackled it without Gary's orders. It knocked Flareon back into a wall as it choked, preventing its attack from being unleashed.

"Get up!" she roared furiously.

Flareon's weak attempt to stand upright was unsuccessful, and Mia couldn't help but wonder when it had last been taken for a check up. Flareons were strong by nature and normally extremely difficult to defeat when the opposition's abilities were mainly based around contact. Seeing her pokemon unable to stand, Yenna fumed and stormed towards it.

"Worthless creature!" she snarled, "You aren't fit to be an Amazon!"

With that, she kicked it across the floor as the watchers hissed in anger at the pokemon who had brought them shame. Mia leapt to its side, picking it up gently and rocking it in her arms. Now she saw that it had been starved, marking it as a new pokemon. The Amazon training technique demanded that the pokemon train for the food and, if it is unsuccessful in passing the training, it would be starved as punishment.

"Take it," she snapped carelessly, "Failure does not belong to my tribe."

"The failure was brought on by the trainer, not the pokemon itself," replied Gary coolly.

Yenna glowered at him.

"How dare you…"

"Anyone who treats their pokemon like that isn't worth my time," he continued, turning away from her.

"What? Now you're in for it! Alakazam!"

The moment it appeared, Gary rolled his eyes.

"My my, we are feeling rather unintelligent today, aren't we, Yenna?" he drawled sarcastically, "Even you should know psychic pokemon don't work against dark types. Abra!"

The moment his pokemon appeared, he looked over his shoulder and smirked at Yenna before leading Mia and Flareon to Abra, Umbreon by his side.

"Teleport."

_End Flashback

* * *

_

The blood had come out in the wash, thankfully enough. The sleeve had been torn, but Jay had just torn the other side to match it. There wasn't an excuse.

But she wasn't ready to forgive him just yet.

"No, Jay," she replied firmly, taking out her favourite sky blue top with "Star" written across it in white.

Jay stared at her in disbelief as she walked into the bathroom. Had she truly forgotten? Or was it just a slip of the mind? Or maybe… something else?

Sky blue top with "Star" across it… Yeah, she'd seen it millions of times before. That was the shirt Gary had given her for her 12th birthday.

* * *

_Hey all! Sorry this took so long... I've been busy... and moody... Mainly moody though. Well, enjoy, and please review! Feedback would be great. I'm aiming to lengthen my chapters, but it's difficult when you have no diea where the story's headed... Hope you enjoy it so far! Criticism would help a lot. Thanks!_

_Angel Skykitten_


	6. Don't forget accept

Jay's laughter filled the air as they stepped into Autumn's Café. Heads turned their way. There were various people already situated within the store, but only one group caught their attention. Her eyes met with one of the group of four and felt anger course through her veins, for various reasons that she couldn't even begin to explain. Mia stood rigid, frozen to the ground. Jay ignored it and tugged at her, glaring.

"You're never going to live it down if he realises he has such power over you!" she hissed into her best friends ear.

Stiffly, Mia nodded and turned away to sit at the other end of the tiny café. It didn't matter to her. It shouldn't matter to her. She was over it. Had been long ago…

_You can't lie to your heart._

'I can damn well try,' she thought back furiously. Jay gave her a questioning look, but she just shook her head. This didn't concern her. It concerned no one but herself.

_And him._

* * *

He watched from the corner of his eye, some girl named Amber hanging onto his left arm. Another one of his mother's friends' daughters. It was beginning to get tedious. He was only 19; he didn't need this. What kind of mother attempts to marry off their son at the age of 19? No, since before then? The amount of girls he'd been introduced to had increased ever since he'd turned 17. The same year his cousin was found out to have been… not interested in girls. He rolled his eyes.

_Stupid homophobic mother._

He could assure her as much as he wanted that he was straight, and that he was capable of finding his own girlfriends, but she still didn't listen to him.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, glancing at the person seated beside him.

Gary's gaze pulled away from the girl and focused on his drink. He nodded for confirmation. Ashley watched suspiciously then pouted, slapping Gary on the shoulder. He turned blankly to look at her. She remained pouting at him. He sighed mentally, putting an arm around her.

_She doesn't care. Not anymore._

The question was why she didn't care anymore. What had he done? Nothing. Nothing at all. Why was she so angry at him? If he could only know where he'd gone wrong, he would be content. Beside him, Nick was staring intently at him. Gary took his hand away from Ashley's shoulders, refusing to look at either of them. He wasn't up for confrontations this morning.

* * *

Mia refused to look. She refused to acknowledge him in any way, whatever the cost. Had he forgotten? Or did he just not care? She remembered Ashley. She remembered her all too well.

"Hey Darlin', what would you like today?" asked Autumn in a lightly cheery voice which spelled out concern.

Mia gave her a weak smile to inform her that she was fine. Autumn sighed inwardly. This girl… she always was stubborn until the end in everything she did, whether it was right or wrong. Jay interrupted Autumn's attempt at starting a conversation by giving their order in a clear voice which told her to leave it alone. Autumn accepted that and nodded, still smiling, before walking off.

"She doesn't know when to let things go," she muttered to Mia.

Mia, in return, smiled and shrugged back at her friend. The only other person, other than, she supposed, _him_, who know why they'd broken contact. She trusted Jay with everything and Jay in return, knowing that, did the best she could to protect her from anything and everything she could. Mia had been the first ever person who seemed to care about her and not patronise her for her choices. She had been the friend who opened her eyes where others could not by gently guiding her towards the truth, not just telling her without any information. Nevertheless, in the end, the truth hurt.

_Stupid Julius. Stupid Travis. Didn't she ever learn? Nick was right, for a change. Never trust anyone from an opposing gang. Even if you feel as though you'd die for them._

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Hey Travis!" she called out, running up to her boyfriend with a cheerful smile as her eyes sparkled with delight._

_A guy with black hair, gold highlights, and grey eyes turned around with a bored look. His hair, gelled to, in his opinion, immaculate perfection, didn't even react to the wind's constant blowing. Jay's own hair had been tied up, but had been giving her trouble ever since the wind started up. Her halter top and jeans had both been chosen by her boyfriend. She wasn't allowed to wear a jacket against the cold because it wouldn't match her outfit. He demanded perfection and nothing else. Even now, she slowed down as he began to frown. Quickly she took out a comb from her backpack and brushed through her ponytail, the comb gliding through with ease._

"_Better?" she asked hopefully._

_He didn't say anything, just began to walk in the direction of the Mall. It wasn't unusual, so she followed him in without a word. Then, when they entered the Mall, it happened. Everything began to fit. All the signs, all the little things she tried to ignore, resurfaced in her mind. She took a step back in her heels, and stumbled, backing into the automatic sliding doors. Quickly, she stood up straighter before she could fall._

_Travis slipped his arm around her. This unknown. Perfect in every way, she could have been a model. Her clothing suggested there was no such thing as modesty, and her sultry look suggested there was no such thing as 'going too far'. Jay felt her heart begin to pound unevenly. Who was she? What was Travis doing? He'd told her he loved her… Didn't he?_

_Then it happened. And her world came crashing down. Travis smirked and turned to kiss this… this thing. And she couldn't do anything. She was paralysed as she watched the scene unfold. She couldn't move as he pulled away slowly to look at her with a malicious sneer. There was nothing she could do as they turned and walked away._

_How much had she sacrificed to be with him? All the slander… the arguments… Did that mean nothing to him? What she went through just to be with him? What they had? What she thought they had? Why was he doing this to her. He'd told her he loved her… Loved… Past tense… No… It couldn't be… It wasn't. He did love her. So then why was he walking away from her with another girl in his arms? Why?_

_End Flashback_

* * *

Later, she would accept the fact that he didn't love her. She would then call up Mia to tell her what happened, but end up crying into the phone. Mia would run to the Mall in search for her, still trying to comfort her, mobile in hand. She would then end up talking to a frantic Nick when he took the phone away from the crying figure of Jay. He would tell her their specific location and she would appear seconds later, out of breath, but still able to rush over to her friend and hug her.

They went through all of that for her, and then she stupidly fell in love with Julius and it happened all over again. What the hell was wrong with her? She just had a knack for falling in love with the wrong people. So she swore never to love again. Never to give her heart out without another thought.

When the break up with Julius occurred, Mia had been in the middle of a tour. She had wanted to fly all the way home for her, but Jay wouldn't allow it. Jay refused to let her best friend lose another opportunity just because of her. Besides, how would she explain it? I had to fly home because my best friend acted like an idiot and fell for someone in a different gang, who was really just out to infiltrate the Vixens?

"Thinking?" she asked.

Jay looked up, startled out of her reverie. She looked away from her best friend, sighing.

"It never leaves you, does it?" she asked, smiling up at Autumn as she placed down their orders and left.

"Nope," muttered back Jay darkly.

Mia took a sip of her drink.

"It's best not to forget," she continued.

Jay shot up in surprise to stare at Mia. She was joking, right? No. She was serious. The look on her face was, at least. She followed Mia's gaze to a couple outside, across the road. They looked only about 12, and happy. The girl was jumping and running, trying to catch a butterfree, the boy following after her, laughing.

"If you don't forget, you learn not to make that mistake ever again. If you do, then you have another memory to remind you."

The girl turned around, pouting, poking her tongue out at the boy. She crossed her arms and stormed off in the other direction. He ran after her.

"To forget is merely to bury it under many more memories. You can't forget entirely, so there is no point in trying. Rather, you learn to accept."

He caught up with her, laughing, and reached out into the air before bringing his hand down, close to the girl.

"To accept it is to accept your mistake and to make certain that the mistake is never repeated ever again. Nothing can be ignored forever."

The girl watched as the butterfree sat staring at her in the boy's hand. It was particularly small, which would explain why no Pokemon trainers had caught it yet. Few would wish for a butterfree of that size. However, as a gift, it was perfect. Surprisingly, when the boy took out his pokeball, it didn't attempt to fly away. Instead, it closed its eyes and allowed itself to be caught.

"So we don't ignore it. Instead, we accept it and allow ourselves to learn from it. We move on."

The boy handed the pokeball over to the girl. She gasped in delight and hugged him, laughing. Releasing the butterfree, it perched on her shoulder, making her laugh again. She took the boy's hand, making him blush, and they continued their walk together.

"Maybe they will have better luck than we did."

Jay spun around to face her friend, surprised by this last comment. Seeing that there was nothing she could really say to the silently pained expression on her face, hidden by a mask of nothingness, she chose to remain silent, only nodding in agreement to her friend's remark as they watched the couple stroll out of sight.

* * *

_Haha, talk about pointless… For those who didn't realise, Travis is Jay's ex. He was also Jack's second in command of the Black Onix's. Ashley… If you read Misty's Hope, you might remember her. If not… it'll come up again in the next chapter! Hopefully…_

_Angel Skykitten_


	7. Betrayal

Ashley pouted, frowning. She didn't like the way Gary had suddenly changed the moment that girl had walked in. She seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Who's that?" she asked, pouting.

Gary turned to look at her, seemingly thousands of light years away. Then he returned to his drink.

"That's Mia Ketchum, Ash Ketchum's sister and the latest pop sensation," supplied Nick with a sideways glance at the table she was now seated on.

_At least Jay is with her. Although, from this angle, it seems as if Jay's the one who's upset._

"Oh."

Ashley stared, sneering, at the so-called "pop sensation". She didn't look all that great, and she probably couldn't sing either, what with all the new high tech equipment singers use to enhance their vocal abilities nowadays. She flipped her hair behind her shoulders.

_I'd probably be a better pop star than her. Why is it that the ugly ones seem to get all the luck?_

Or maybe she was just telling herself that to reassure that Mia's raven black ponytail wasn't made from a mass of silky hair with a healthy glow. That her skin didn't shine with a perfect, if slightly pale, tan. That her blue eyes didn't seem to capture the attention of anyone who beheld them. That her lips weren't a natural baby pink. Yes. That was it. It was just make up. The eyeliner she wore probably enhanced the look of her blue eyes or something. In fact, they were probably contact lenses. She probably needed glasses. Stupid wench. Probably had a lot of surgery as well for her face. A glance at her body and she knew that no amount of surgery would help her.

"She's only 15," he added, just to see her reaction.

As predicted, both girls' mouths dropped open in surprise. They'd expected her to be about 18, but no. Upon closer inspection, she was clearly a young child. Her expression portrayed wisdom beyond her years, but an innocence which could only have come from a child. A mild look of disgust crossed Ashley's heavy overdone features.

"So she's still growing?"

"It would seem so."

"… with the aid of a hell of a lot of plastic surgery," she muttered under her breath.

Not softly enough, it seemed, for Jack's previously passive features turned into a frown. Before he could say anything, however, Gary lifted his head, as if to participate in the conversation. Ashley's hope flared, expecting the inevitable. She knew he had something against that Mia girl as well as Ash. Surely he would restrain his friend. Just for her.

"She wouldn't. It's against her nature. She believes in the true beauty of all that is natural," he remarked lightly, picking up his glass of water.

He watched as the sunlight hit the carved glass, bouncing off and sparkling in every direction. Natural beauty. The beauty of all things which surround them. Once upon a time, he had stopped and noticed his surroundings too. Now, he'd lost the ability to appreciate anything of this world. No matter how hard he tried, it remained bland. Boring. Normal. She had once shown him the true splendour of everything. Shown him the path to appreciating everything. Now he had lost his way. Without her, there was no one to light the way and he continued to stumble, further and further away from the trail…

Ashley frowned at her boyfriend. What was wrong with him?

"Gary," she whined, pouting.

For an instant, Gary was unable to keep the annoyance from his facial expression. Nevertheless, he composed himself swiftly, and it seemed Ashley hadn't picked up on it at all. He smiled wanly at her.

"Would you prefer chocolate or honey drops?"

* * *

Nick stared at his friend sympathetically. It took a lot to put up with a girl like Ashley. Nevertheless, he knew it wouldn't last. It had been almost three months now, admittedly, but that was merely because Gary couldn't help but take his time when trying to break it off with someone. He looked at the girl by his side. Amber. He could tell this was all for show. To keep their parents happy. Amber already had a boyfriend, but he was an assistant at some laboratory and deemed unworthy by her parents. Even now she had a bored look, staring into her drink.

"That's Mia, right?" she asked.

Surprised that she had actually bothered to speak, he nodded.

"I knew her when we went to school together. What happened to her best friend was tragic."

Nick nodded again, looking away. He'd heard about the incident too. It must have been a difficult time for her. How old had she been then? Eight?

"She was the sweetest little thing. It's funny though. She was the only under fifteen in high school, yet she seemed so mature. To think, she hadn't bothered with elementary, yet she knew more than we did."

Amber's expression turned to one of genuine grief.

"If only…"

Nick looked at her, confused. If only what? Who was she? What did she know about Mia? Only what had been passed around the school. All the standard knowledge. So what did she mean by the "If only"?

"What are you talking about?"

Amber looked up at him, startled. She smiled a bittersweet smile.

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

"No, I guess I don't."

"Greetings. My name is Amber, leader of the Black Destiny," she announced with a dry laugh.

Nick felt his blood run cold. On the other side of him, Gary tensed.

* * *

"Is it just me, or do those two seem familiar?" inquired Jay wonderingly.

Mia nodded, sipping her drink.

"Ashley you would have seen with Jack. She was his girlfriend before Misty."

Jay choked on her drink.

Amber was the leader of the Black Destiny at our school."

"… huh? Black Destiny?"

"They were a group of girls who went around terrorising the school. They were involved in everything from breaking up friendships to hospitalising people," she replied wryly, "It would take someone who'd witnessed their doings to fully appreciate their power."

Jay raised an eyebrow.

"That bad, huh?"

"Worse."

Jay waited patiently for Mia's elaboration. By the quick sip her friend had taken from her drink, she knew Mia had more to say. An example of what they'd done.

"Keya was Amber's second in command. Together, they caused the death of my best friend, all those years ago."

Jay's eyes widened, then slanted in anger.

"What the hell? I'll never understand how you manage to see all this and not seem even the slightest bit upset. The two people who caused Minna's death… One is married to your brother's friend, and the other one is hanging onto the arm of your friend as if she actually meant something to him!"

"So you're saying she doesn't mean anything to Nick?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Jay had the decency to at least blush slightly.

"That's not what I meant! What I mean is, how can you cope, knowing all this? If it had been me, I would've been arrested for two counts of attempted murder."

Mia shrugged slightly.

"Does it matter? They didn't intend for Minna to do that. Really, no one did. Minz was so cheerful all the time… people thought she would have just gotten over it after a while. I guess… I never saw how much she liked him… how much pain affected her…"

"What do you mean?"

"I never knew Minna could possibly have been suicidal, you know. She was always so happy. Now, I suppose I can see that she was too damn happy. Brett had been the only person who'd managed to gently push open the gateway to her heart. As a child, she had always been bullied because her father had been involved in a money scandal. It always confused her that her father had done something like that. Something so bad, when to her, he could only do good. He left them soon after. His pride couldn't take it, I think. Her mother blamed her for everything then, unwilling to accept any responsibility. Minna grew up thinking that no one loved her, so when Brett showed up, he was her everything. When that everything was taken away from her, she couldn't see a reason to live. She wouldn't have wanted her death to bring accusations and revenge. In the end, it was her choice, and her's alone."

"I guess when you put it that way…"

"No one intended for it to happen. The world is full of so many damn "If only's". There's no point in dwelling on the past. You just keep moving on. People deserve a chance to change. Yes, even if they have killed someone. You always have to look at two sides. Yes, they were guilty of committing a crime, but you also have to look at the why. Why did the commit it? What lead them to commit it? Is there a possibility that they might change and, if we let that go, will we be destroying the future of a would-be success? People do things that they regret, Jay. Unless you give them a chance, however, you won't ever know."

"So… is that why a success pop star is seated in Autumn's Café next to her high school dropout best friend?" she asked, grinning.

Mia smiled slightly, reaching out to punch her lightly on the arm. She sipped again at her drink before putting the money on the table.

"Let's go."

Jay nodded and got up to follow her. It seemed almost in slow motion as they reached the exit. Mia walking, staring dead straight at the door. Gary turning his head ever so slightly. For a moment, their eyes met and Mia's step faltered. But only for a split second. Nevertheless, she knew that, for that small moment, Mia's heart had stopped. Maybe, just maybe, Gary still had a chance. Assuming he didn't stuff up.

Jay's gaze swept across the group of four. Ashley glaring at them in jealousy. Gary had already turned around, as if nothing had happened. Amber looked away, but Jay had already caught the guilty look on her face. Nick was watching them in concern, but she threw him a dirty look anyway. Mia might have forgiven Amber, but she hadn't, and Nick should've known better than to be dating the enemy.

_Hypocrite._

She ignored her inner voice. This was different. This time, Mia was the one who got hurt.

* * *

_Ironic, isn't it? Jay's the overprotective one, yet it's she who needs the protection, not Mia. Or not… As an insight to Jay's character, if you haven't already picked up on it, she's very protective of her friends, especially Mia, because she's done so much for her. More history in later chapters. Maybe. Yes or no? It's your choice. Thank you for reading and please review!_

_Angel Skykitten_


	8. Revelations

"Hey Mia!"

She closed her eyes, anticipating the brush of her hair against her eyelids as she turned. When the moment vanished, she opened them again, showing startling sapphire eyes.

"Yes?" she asked, smiling.

Looking down now, she gave a small smile of amusement as Kari stood, bent over and panting heavily. When she did straighten up, Mia had to look upwards. Kari was tall, even as a seventeen year old, but she had a sweet smile and kind brown eyes. Her whole being emanated with trust and promised support. Suddenly, Mia found herself swept up in a tight embrace, and laughed. No one could change completely.

"It's great to see you again," she murmured, patting her on the head.

Mia closed one eye as she endured such treatment.

"I'm fifteen, not five!" she protested, to no avail.

"Yeah, I know," replied Kari affectionately, allowing her hand to drop to her side.

"So. I'm assuming you didn't come after me just to greet me?"

"Oh. Right. We've got this thing on tonight and we were wondering if you'd like to help us out by singing there? Don't worry; it's really low key."

Mia raised her eyes disbelievingly. Gary's chain of clubs and low key should never be put in the same context.

"… There won't be any reporters," she added, "Please?"

Docile chocolate eyes shone with such beseech that Mia couldn't help but give a small laugh and shake her head at her friend's childishness.

"Fine. I'll be there."

"All right! I'll see you eight o'clock sharp, okay? It doesn't really start until about nine, but I'd like to do some rehearsals first."

Mia rolled her eyes and nodded her consent. She found herself in yet another quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Love you, bye!"

With that, Kari hustled off, leaving Mia wincing and rubbing her cheek with the back of her jacket. So intent was she on her task to rid herself of any trace of the show of loving friendship that she didn't notice her surroundings. So when a hand gently removed her hand from her face by the wrist, she almost screamed aloud, turning swiftly and preparing to attack.

"You shouldn't do that. You'll ruin your skin," came the gentle chastise.

She froze up immediately, not daring to look up. She felt her fist gently unfurl and her arm slowly slide to her side. A hand slid itself under her chin and gently nudged her until she met his eyes.

"It's been a while."

He felt, but didn't show, a sense of despair as those azure eyes clouded over and an icy expression distort them, though they remained beautiful, if only in a colder sense. He allowed her to pull her hand from his grasp and step away from him.

"Leave."

The voice was toneless. Though it was so devoid of emotions, it emanated with such a passionate hatred that even he couldn't help but feel taken aback. She was no longer looking at him. Instead, she stared down. He watched the floor where she'd focused her glare, almost expecting a hole to form.

"No."

Mia clenched her fists and turned to walk away.

"Wait!"

Something made her stop. Had she imagined it? Or, for a split second, had she heard a sense of desperation in his voice? Some plea that allowed him the power to prevent her from moving. Her mind willed her to run, but her body wouldn't move. Couldn't. The call was too powerful for her to ignore, even now.

"Just tell me one thing. What did I do wrong?"

She smiled ironically at this. He waited in anxious anticipation for her answer. She spun around, ignoring that her pigtails swung and hit her viciously across her face. A cruel smile had formed in place of the innocently adorable child from just moments ago.

"You of all people should know that!" she remarked, with such vicious sarcasm that he flinched visibly.

"Well I don't," he retorted back.

She gave him a critical look, staring intently at his face. There was such an honesty in the way he presented himself that she couldn't help but want so much to believe him, to accept that this was the truth. After all, forgive and forget, right? Wasn't that the way she dealt with things? How could anyone change unless they were given a second chance?

Yet she couldn't. Wouldn't. She had placed her complete faith in him, only to have him run it over for a one night stand. Or perhaps she had truly meant something to him? Perhaps… Then why was he with Ashley? Or had he discarded that girl like he had discarded her? It hurt to think that she could have been replaced so easily by just anyone. Nothing could forgive what he had done.

"Then you have no heart," she replied simply.

She could almost feel Gary staring after her in disbelief. Probably wondering how it could have hurt her the way it did. Or…

Or perhaps… he truly didn't know? She dismissed the idea. Accidents such as those did not happen. It was impossible.

Or was it?

* * *

The ordeal had sapped away much of her emotional strength. She had forgotten his charm. Forgotten how easily enchanting he could be. Or was it that she had weakened since their last encounter?

"Here's your tea."

She looked up and gave a shadow of a smile.

"Thanks, Misty."

Her sister-in-law sat beside her. She had an expectant look on her face which made Mia squirm inwardly.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's this thing you have with Gary?"

"I do not have a thing with Gary!" she exclaimed, horrified.

"No, I mean your negative relationship, not a romantic one," she explained impatiently.

Mia eased back into her seat on the couch.

"Oh."

Misty arched an eyebrow. Mia stared back dully.

"So are you going to tell me or do I have to force it out of you?"

"It's impossible to force information from a Vixen," she replied automatically.

"Maybe so, but I'm talking to you as a family member, not a Vixen," she countered.

"Nevertheless, I am a Vixen regardless of what context with which you approach me by."

"Don't try to change the subject. What's wrong?"

"Are you implying that there's something wrong?"

"From what I can see, yes," she retorted.

"Well I don't see anything wrong with it," she replied innocently.

Misty gave her an, 'You expect me to believe that?" glance. Mia's look remained plastered on her face. Misty sighed.

"Mia, I'm only trying to help."

"What's there to help? Nothing requires any help from anyone between Gary and I," she responded.

Misty gave her an exasperated look, shaking her head.

"Mia, haven't you ever heard that denial will never get you anywhere?"

"Well then it's lucky I'm not in denial, isn't it?" she replied cheerfully.

Misty gave her one last look of disbelief before getting up and walking away. Mia collapsed into a miserable heap upon the couch, grabbed the remote and began flicking through the channels.

"My my, what do we have here?"

Mia suppressed a groan. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Five minutes to herself was all she asked for. Five minutes! She turned around, resisting the urge to sigh aloud.

"Yes, mother?"

Delia slid into the seat beside her youngest child.

"What's the matter, darling?"

"Nothing."

She forced a grin. Delia rolled her eyes. What kind of mother did her daughter think she was?

"Did you know, a long time ago, I was also your age once?"

Mia seemed to straighten up, ready to protest that she hadn't meant any offence, but Delia silenced her youngest child with a small gesture.

"Hush, child. Listen to what I have to say," she reprimanded lightly.

Mia didn't make a movement.

"Now, when I was younger, I had fallen heavily for a young man."

She chuckled as her daughter made a face, but refused to move for fear it would be deemed impolite.

"Now, when he and I parted, he promised to wait for me, no matter how long it would be until our next meeting. In fact, he gave me a necklace and, on it, a promise ring. He promised that he would be with me forever and he didn't care how long he'd have to wait if it meant we could be together again."

She smiled sadly, reaching up to her neck as if it were still there; as though trying to remember the piece of jewellery in every detail possible.

"Now, while I was away, he remained loyal to me, day after day. For four years he waited. Then, one day, he relented, convinced I was never to return. Ironically, only days after, I did return, but learning what he had done, I felt as though I couldn't forgive him. He had promised to wait, but he hadn't."

She paused momentarily to stare at her daughter. Mia had looked away, but the bitterness in her eyes was evident to Delia. After all, she was her mother's child.

"I suppose I was rather selfish, in that aspect. I had expected him to remain loyal to me even after so many years of separation."

"No you weren't," interjected Mia furiously, "You remained loyal to him, so why shouldn't you have been given the same courtesy? Why should he expect you to remain loyal to him when he didn't to you?"

"Hush child, this is my story."

Mia quietened.

"He did everything he could to persuade me that, no matter what had happened, I was still his true love. At first, it weakened my resolve, but I stood steadfast nevertheless, promising myself that I would never again allow that villain to come near my heart. However, something happened. Something that made me realise that I couldn't live without him."

Mia gazed at her mother with reluctant interest.

"I was informed that he had, in his anguish, gotten drunk and had stepped in front of a speeding car."

Mia choked on her gasp. Delia smiled wryly.

"For three days and three nights I remained by his bedside, forever fearing that he wouldn't pull through. In those three days, I cursed myself, continually wondering why I had spent the past few months of my life rejecting him when I could have forgiven him and given him the second chance he had so desperately desired."

"But he got better," interrupted Mia meekly, "Right?"

Delia smiled and nodded.

"Yes, he did get better eventually. I learnt that I couldn't live without him and that the only reason he had allowed himself to be taken in by temptation was because he couldn't live life knowing that he was potentially waiting for someone who had already moved on and forgotten him; forgotten his love."

Mia was silent for a long time. Delia smiled softly and stroked her silky black hair tenderly with a mother's affection.

"In the end, I forgave him and he did become the perfect boyfriend. The perfect husband. The perfect father. All the way up until his death."

Mia froze. Death? Father? Husband? Was she talking about…

"No, child, it wasn't your father. It was Ash's."

"But… but how could you have vowed to love someone so much, then, when they passed away, take up a new love?" she asked, clearly confused.

Delia sighed softly.

"It is possible to love many people, child. Just as I loved Ash's father, I loved your's also. Both captured my heart, merely at different stages."

"But then… If you did have to choose between them, who would you have chosen?"

Delia glanced at her only daughter, giving a small, exasperated smile.

"Child, you may love many people in a lifetime. As you grow older, your personality changes. As I was one person when I met Ash's father, I was another when I met your's. At a young age, love is difficult to maintain, not because you aren't mature enough to understand it, but because you are growing so rapidly, as is your character. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Mia's eyes glazed over with a troubled, struggling look for a few moments, but then they cleared and she nodded.

"I think so."

Delia smiled at her child and stood up.

"Good, good," she murmured distantly, slowly climbing up the stairs to reach her bedroom.

Mia watched her mother's departure with mild curiosity and a newfound understanding.

* * *

_Hi all! Not that "all" means all that many people anyway... Ah well. Sorry about being so late... I'll try to work a little faster next time... Please read and review!_

_Thanks!_

_Angel SkyKitten_


	9. Confrontations

"… Because all I'm wishing for…

Is someone to love me…"

The screaming, the cheering, the applause. She smiled and took her bow, mentally rolling her eyes as she left the stage. The thrill of being on stage would never leave her, but nor would the amusement her friends constantly provided her with.

"Low key, huh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kari shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

"Okay, so maybe word got out faster than I'd anticipated…"

Mia sighed dramatically, shaking her head.

"Doesn't matter. It was fun, at least. I haven't performed for a while now. It's mostly photo shoots these days. Waking up at ungodly hours, being caked in white powder, trying on costume after costume…"

She made a face and Kari laughed.

"That's show biz for you, honey," she commented, throwing a wink at her as she turned to walk away.

"Next song in ten minutes, okay?"

A rather grim look settled on her face. Show biz, huh? If only they were the only sacrifices she had needed to make… Who knew? Maybe then… Maybe then this would never have happened… Or perhaps…

She slapped herself. Breathe. Breathe. Don't think. It's over now. There was nothing left. Nothing but the resounding memories of what ifs and what could have beens. What did it matter if she hadn't left? If he had loved her, he would have waited; he would have dropped everything for her…

Maybe. Or maybe not. Perhaps her mother was right. Perhaps… Perhaps it was too selfish of her to expect him to wait forever…

Yet she had seen him. Today, in the audience. On the streets. Following from a distance as he always had. Hidden until she needed him. Or had that merely been a figment of her imagination? What reason would he have to act as her guardian angel? Her knight? Her protector? She didn't need that anymore. She was stronger now. She had learnt to live and survive without him. Yes. She didn't need him. She never would ever again.

Of course he was in the audience. He owned the club. He had to oversee the running of things. Of course he had been on the streets. This town was small enough to bump into all the citizens of the town at least twice in a day. Yes. He belonged here. She…

She did not. She was no longer wholly in unison with the comings and goings of her hometown. She was the outsider now. The new face. The stranger. Where she walked, people would look at her and wonder who she was. She was no longer apart of this small neighbourhood. She belonged to the larger world. She possessed a global recognition for her celebrity status. She was no longer home.

"Hey Mia! Want to get a drink?"

Startled, she looked up to see Nick, grinning at her. There were circles under his eyes. His smile was hollow, his voice was thin despite its depth. He had the potential to become a great vocalist, but he had chosen not to go down that path. What had he said? _You have to love it to be good at it. You have to believe it to love it. It has to come from your heart for you to believe it._ He had always been the secretive one, the one everyone assumed never knew what pain meant, the one everyone could only ever picture with a smile. He was tortured from within.

"When's your next performance?"

Sipping her orange juice through a straw, she glanced at her watch before motioning with her hand.

"Five minutes? That's alright. So how've you been?"

She rolled her eyes. Really, he'd shouted her without so much as a protest and even offered to walk her home.

"What were you guys arguing about?"

"What… what are you talking about?"

He attempted a sorry excuse for a nervous giggle and Mia rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow. Sighing, he collapsed onto the bar and let his arms fall over his head. A mumbled noise that might have been speech reached her ears.

"What's that?"

"Amber!"

"Ah."

He gave her a look. She struggled to hide the grin that was threatening to overtake her sympathetic illusion. He glowered at her.

"It's not funny."

"You're right. Of course it isn't."

"Don't say that when you're choking on your own laughter," he grumbled, sitting up straight.

She did what she could to suppress her giggles. Jay always got so jealous when he paid attention to any other girl. She was just too used to being his centre of attention. Mia knew her friend better than she did herself. That girl… She always went for the ones who charmed her, who abused her. She seemed to be addicted to the feeling of having to constantly hold onto and submit to her boyfriend. But in the end… In the end, one day she'll realise that the one she loves is the one who's been there for her since… forever. Nick fidgeted under her gaze.

"What? Is my hair screwed up or something?" he asked, reaching a hand to his head.

She smiled lazily at him.

"No. It's nothing. You know her. Don't worry. What did she say?"

"Something about consorting with the enemy?"

Mia snorted in a rather undignified manner. Hypocrite. She phased out as Nick's ranting began, watching vacantly at her Espeon's silky movements as it darted out and around chairs with a sophisticated ease she couldn't help but marvel at.

"… Are you even listening to me? Hello?"

"She yelled at you for hanging out with a person she now considers to be apart of the ever-growing evil in the world and stormed off without giving you a chance to explain that the only reason you were with her was because she was the daughter of a family friend and your mother is a stupid homophobe. If you throw in 'It's not fair' and 'What did I do' in between that, I think you'll find I quoted you exactly."

He pouted. She laughed at his stupidity.

"She's angry because she saw you with another girl. This is her excuse to yell at you for it. You spoilt her, this is the consequence. Get over it. I have a show to put on."

He stuck her tongue out childishly. She rolled her eyes at him. She was officially banning him from calling her childish ever again. He couldn't talk. Still, she could see he was secretly glowing with happiness over the thought that Jay might - Gasp - actually be jealous of him talking to another female!

* * *

"Are you ready?" he whispered into her ear.

She froze. She could almost feel the smirk he had, plastered on his face. But she was already being lead on stage. Kari was already walking past, winking at her, having announced the duet. There was no going back. The music started, and she almost cried.

"_Haven't you ever thought about me_

_Haven't you ever though what could've been_

_Because I was always dreaming_

_I was always seeing_

_You and me…"_

This was her cue. This was their song. Why?

"**I'd never imagined I could love you**

**Never imagine I could care so deep**

**Because I was always fearing**

**I was always hoping**

**For you and me…"**

"_**And together we can do anything**_

_**And forever we'll grow as you and me"**_

"_And I promise to be there forever"_

"**And I promise that we'll be together"**

"_**Together, for now until forever"**_

The cheering was a dull murmur in the background. She smiled and bow as she always did. Routine. Otherwise, there was nothing as she left the stage. In the audience, Jay and Nick silently moved to follow their friend. Gary left the stage walking as one would under an invisible strain, drawn to move by his heartstrings like a marionette.

The cheering began to fade into loud exclamations of, "Oh my gosh, is she not fantastic?" and "He is so hot! I would kill to be her…" and even the occasional, "Was it just me, or was there an Umbreon and an Espeon on stage?".

There was a loud thumping noise ringing in her ears. She couldn't tell if it was her footsteps or her heartbeat.

"Mia!"

She halted in front of Jay, who grabbed her shoulders and slapped her across the face. The contact echoed through the alleyway.

"Mia! Snap out of it."

She blinked and held her head for a moment, one hand holding onto Jay, who did her best to steady her friend. Nick took the other arm and threw it around his shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked, gently.

A pang of… something, shot through her heart and she looked away. She wanted to slap herself, too. Snap out of it. It's only Mia. They've always been close. She suppressed the little voices inside her head as she felt the weight lifted off her tiny frame. As she watched them walk away, there was something lurking within her soul, something she couldn't quite put her finger on… Resentment?

She pushed him away, trying to shake away the cloudiness that was beginning to form within her mind. Why did she feel so dizzy?

"Go," she mumbled, "… Jay… she's…"

Nick watched her sway unsteadily as she moved away from him. Her knees gave way and he moved forward.

"I'll take her."

The voice was silky, smooth, flawless. A glower settled over his face.

"This is low, Gary. Ridiculously low."

"Abra, return," he paused to look at his friend, Mia carried in his arms, "I did what I had to."

"You lowlife!" she snarled, launching towards him from the shadows.

Nick caught her, turning his face away so she would not see him flinch. He ignored the screaming, the flailing, the blood running down his arms. As Gary turned the corner, she fell limp in his arms.

"I hate you," she uttered viciously.

"She'll be fine or there will be hell to pay."

Admitting defeat, she glanced up into his eyes. A moment passed, and they looked away. Neither of them moved. He did not remove his arms, wrapped around her waist, nor did she make any attempt to escape it.

* * *

Her head was spinning as she opened an eyelid. Where was she? Her hand reached something soft and furry.

"Espeon?" she mumbled, trying to sit up.

The Pokemon sat on her stomach, waiting patiently for its master to regain full consciousness. Surprised, she half sat up to see Umbreon lying beside her. She watched in mild amazement as it, seemingly content with her awakened state, stretched and strolled away leisurely. Espeon licked her hand and she stroked it, moving it away so she could sit up completely.

Standing, she yawned and took her time to gather in her surroundings. A startled scream shattered the night sky.

"Let me go!" she yelled, suddenly panicked.

A small chuckle made her stop in her tracks. It would have to be him, wouldn't it. Who else could it have been? She should have guessed. Sighing, she turned to him.

"What now, Gary?"

She took his arms from her waist and moved away.

"Let's just settle this once and for all, okay?"

For a moment, he almost seemed hesitant, but it vanished faster than it had appeared. He nodded.

"What do you want with me?"

He almost laughed. What did he want with her? He didn't want anything with her, per se, he just wanted to be with her. With the girl who never failed to brighten up his day, with the girl who, like him, had the competitive streak to try and go that little further and try to reach the impossible, one step at a time. What did he want with her? Everything. But he didn't say that.

"Why didn't you come back?"

"I did."

"You know what I mean."

"I did."

Now he turned to her with a puzzled gaze. She sighed, leaning against a tree and looking away from him.

"I promised you three years. I kept that promise."

"Then why didn't you ever come to see me?"

"Does it matter?"

He gave her a look of such plain incredulity that there was no hope of missing his bewilderment. What a question to ask. Had she really changed that much? But her head was down and she never looked up.

"You had others with you. You didn't need me, Gary."

Roughly, he pulled her close and crushed her in a suffocatingly painful embrace.

'But I wanted you."

Tear drops landed gently on the grass beneath them.

* * *

Oh my gosh I posted! I posted! xD Sorry! School, relationships… Just a whole lot of drama. Enjoy!

Angel SkyKitten


End file.
